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One tournament into his return was all Tiger Woods needed to strike a deal with Bridgestone to play its golf ball.Bridgestone Golf said Thursday it has signed Woods to a multi-year agreement in which he will play and promote the golf ball. Woods effectively became a free agent for equipment deals when Nike decided to stop making clubs and golf balls and instead focus on apparel.Bridgestone becomes the first new equipment company that Woods has endorsed since he turned pro 20 years ago. He signed with Titleist (equipment) and Nike (footwear and clothing) in 1996, and his switch to all Nike equipment began with its golf ball in May 2000.Terms of the contract were not disclosed. Woods had not played in 15 months while recovering from back surgeries, though he still draws more attention and spikes media ratings more than any other player.Woods had been testing equipment the last few months after Nike said it was getting out of the hard goods golf business. He used the Bridgestone ball at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, and said the golf ball was the critical component of any equipment change.Woods tied for 15th against an 18-man field in the Bahamas, though he was hitting a greater variety of shots than when he had last played on the PGA Tour.The 14-time major champion tends to play a golf ball that spins more than most, and Woods said the Bridgestone B333-S was hands-down the best for my game.The ball is reacting identical with how I want to play, he said in a release announcing the deal. For me, thats fun.As part of the deal, Woods will be considered a Bridgestone ambassador and be featured in all advertising.Woods also was using a TaylorMade driver and fairway metal in the Bahamas, and he said he put his old Scotty Cameron putter back in the bag right after Nike announced it was out of the club business. He was still using the Nike irons and said in the Bahamas he planned more testing after the tournament.He has not announced his schedule for next year except for the Feb. 16-19 Genesis Open at Riviera, where he hasnt been since 2006. His foundation now runs the tournament.By choosing a new golf ball, Woods went a different direction from two of Nikes highest-ranked players. Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka said they have asked Nike to set aside as many golf balls as possible.I have about two to three years worth, Koepka said in the Bahamas.McIlroy, who plans extensive equipment testing in Dubai at the end of the month, said changing golf balls would be the most difficult adjustment.I need something that works, and right now the Nike golf ball works ... with everything in my bag, which is perfect, McIlroy said in late October.Woods took the first step with the Bridgestone golf ball. He joins a group of players that include Matt Kuchar, Brandt Snedeker and Fred Couples . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. . Down by seven with 90 seconds left in regulation, thats where they looked comfortable. . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Stop me if youve heard this one: Not every prediction hits the bulls-eye.Here in the world of fantasy sports, we spend a good part of the preseason painstakingly assessing the market value of each and every member of your imaginary teams. However, there are always some underrated, underobserved indicators bubbling under the surface.Last week, we discussed a few players who may end up underperforming expectations. This week, I want to take a walk on the sunny side of the street by identifying players who I expect to overperform their preseason valuation for the duration of the season.Anthony Davis, PF/C, New Orleans Pelicans2015-16 Player Rater Rank: 24 (9.71 points) 2016-17 Player Rater Rank: 1 (20.06 points)Back in September, I remember trumpeting Davis No. 1 overall potential with particular gusto. That was September of 2015. This is the Davis we always expected. He was just a year behind schedule.Last season, Davis was pegged to take the leap as the centerpiece of an up-and-coming playoff team. This season, Davis is poised to take said leap as the centerpiece of a team currently on pace to go 0-82.He began the season with a late-first round valuation (No. 11 overall). Hes currently ranked No. 1 -- and a dominant No. 1, no less -- in turnover leagues. In the rarified air of the overall top 10, a 3-to-5-spot jump in the rankings represents a sizable shift in the fantasy basketball landscape.So what happened? Last years injuries aside, how has Davis suddenly stampeded to his current averages of 30.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 1.09 steals per game?With all due respect to Solomon Hill, Omer Asik, Tim Frazier and?ETwaun Moore, this is what happens when you deposit a transcendent talent like Anthony Davis into a lineup featuring the likes of Solomon Hill, Omer Asik, Tim Frazier and ETwaun Moore. Hes a great player surrounded by a couple of replacement-level teammates and absolutely nobody else. Its a dynamic that pushes the great player above a 30.0 usage rate.Davis began the season with two epic performances where he combined for 95 points, 32 rebounds, six blocks, seven steals and eight assists. As a result, and given the newness of the season, his current averages are going to be a bit inflated. Is this just a two-game opening percolation by a great player on a very bad team? Or is there something fundamental in his production that has shifted?One subtle, striking aspect of Davis stat line is its uniformity. It isnt just a single category or two thats fueling his rise -- its a little bit of everything. Davis shot attempts are only up by about eight percent. His 3-point performance is down. His field-goal percentage is actually down. His effective field-goal percentage is down.Davis currently stands in third place in points-per-game production (4.01 player rater points), a hefty rise over his 2015-16 ranking (20th). The scoring is impressive, but when charting Davis return to prominence, Id look at three particular categories.His 3.0 blocks per game are a big spike from last years average of 2.0 per game. Thats good enough to rule the NBA in the category, and good for 6.55 player rater pointsDavis is averaging 1.9 steals per game. Thats top-10 production overall, regardless of position, and No. 1 among all power forwards and centers.Davis is averaging 11.8 free-throw attempts per game, making 9.5 of them -- a .809 clip. Thats 4.7 more free throws made per game above his career average. Davis gonzo first two games featured 31 combined free-throw attempts.For all the undulations created by the prospect of Davis stretch-4 potential,, a potential rise in free-throw production could prove just as impactful.dddddddddddd If youre rostering Davis, youd rather have the spike come from free throws, because its more reliable. Plus, Davis is still averaging 2.0 3-point attempts per game. Even if hes only hitting 19 percent of them at present, the 3-point attempts themselves leave Davis with some room to grow.Overall, Davis sustained improvement in blocks and free-throw production, combined with the lack of talent on the Pelicans roster, could keep Davis in the top 3 for the rest of the season.Draymond Green, SF/PF, Golden State Warriors2015-16 Player Rater Rank: 6 (13.88 points) 2016-17 Player Rater Rank: 14 (10.45 points)Greens production has dropped compared to his 2015-16 numbers. So why is he listed as a success story? Well, swapping Harrison Barnes for Kevin Durant was supposed to kneecap Greens fantasy value -- and his scoring has dropped accordingly, from 14.0 to 9.4 points per game.His 3-point production is running at 50 percent of his 2015-16 average (0.6 vs. 1.2). His true shooting percentage is an anemic 46.6 percent, his lowest since his rookie campaign. Yet hes still somehow managing to healthily outperform his preseason fantasy rank of 18th. What gives?Green has weathered the offensive hit by funneling his statistical production into less flashy, but equally valuable categories. Unlike Klay Thompson, Green can absorb a hit to a couple of key categories and simply channel the lost offense into other areas of his game. He is the epitome of what I call a post-points player. Like?Stephen Curry?and Durant, Greens fantasy production is so diversified, so atypical for his position, that he can give up half his offense and still remain elite. Points production doesnt matter when you still remain top-10 in rebounds, assists, blocks and steals.The best news of all is that, just like with Davis, Green has plenty of room to grow in value. His performance from the floor is bound to improve. Green isnt going to shoot a career low .387 for an entire season. Plus, as he gets more comfortable on offense, some of the touches Durant has siphoned off will inevitably revert back to Green.Mike Conley, PG, Sacramento Kings2015-16 Player Rater Rank: 106 (3.38 points) 2016-17 Player Rater Rank: 18 (9.25 points)Conley is one of fantasys most perennially underrated players, and perhaps the most underrated point guard of the past five seasons. Conleys been a solid top-40 kind of point guard, the guy you grab in fifth round that leaves you looking smart. However, this year, the dichotomy between preseason expectation and actual production is lining up to be especially striking.The biggest reason behind Conleys leap is a fundamental one. Conley only played 56 games in 2015-16. Simply participating in 70-75 games will translate into a 2-3 round undervaluation for Conley, who had an ADP of 59.3 in ESPN Fantasy Leagues.But Conley has also opened the season on fire from downtown. Hes taking a career-high 5.0 3-pointers per game, hitting 2.4 of them for a .486 percentage. Conley cant sustain those levels -- his career-high in 3-pointers was in 2014-15, with 1.5 per game -- but he should stay on track for a career year in 3-point production.?If Conley combines that kind of production with career high-equivalent levels in assists (6.7 per game to date) and steals (1.3 per game) -- and if he can stay relatively healthy -- Conley should return top-30 value for the season. ' ' '
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